3-in-One Deliciousness

I like pizza, I like pasta, I like a good casserole. Put the 3 together, and I'm a happy girl! 

I've served this dish multiple times, and have always received rave reviews. The sauce absolutely makes it, so be sure to buy what's listed. I've had no trouble finding it at my local supermarket

Another good thing about this dish: it freezes beautifully! 

Pizza Pasta

1lb rotini

1 jar Newman's Own Sockarooni pasta sauce

(If you like your pasta on the saucy side, go ahead and grab a 2nd jar)

1/2-3-4 pkg sliced pepperoni

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pkg sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 small can sliced olives

While cooking the pasta according to the package directions, cut pepperoni slices into quarters. In a sauté pan, cook mushrooms in 1tbsp of butter over medium heat. Drain olives and set aside. 

Once pasta is cooked, drain it and return to the pot. Add in mushrooms, olives, and 1 jar of pasta sauce. Stir to combine. Fold in pepperoni & 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. If you like your pasta dishes on the saucy side, add another cup of sauce and stir to combine. (I typically do this, as the original amount tends to soak up into the pasta while baking- and I'm a saucy kind of girl!)

Place mixture in a baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30min, until the cheese is melted. Pop the broiler on during the last few minutes to brown the cheese. 

This is gooey, delicious, and very filling. Serve alongside a green salad and you're good to go. I also love the Sockarooni sauce. It has great bell pepper flavor, plus all proceeds from this Newman's Own product go to charity!

http://m.newmansown.com/products/newmans-own-sockarooni-sauce/

I'm back.. with bread!

Banana bread, to be exact!

I haven't posted on this blog in forever & a day, and I have zero excuses. Please forgive me! ...or don't. Whatev. 

I've got my favorite banana bread in the oven, and let me tell you, my house smells DIVINE! The recipe is a basic one, but tastes oh so delicious, and you should definitely add it to your fall baking repertoire.

Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl, mash bananas. Add butter, vanilla, and egg; mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until the batter comes together. 

Transfer to a buttered loaf pan. I like to top mine with a bit of sugar & cinnamon, which gives the most delicious top crust! 

Bake for 1 hour. If a knife comes out clean, you're good to go! If it does not, continue baking and check every 5 minutes until your knife comes out clean.

You can also bake these in muffin tins for 30-40min. You can also top them with cream cheese frosting after they've cooled & have yourself one hell of a dessert!

Hope y'all enjoy! Keep checking back in- I promise to post on the regular and would love some support & comments. 

Peace!

Celebrate We Will

I woke up this morning to some sad & disheartening news. A school in my city, Mount St. Mary Academy, has forced the resignation of a teacher. Tippi McCullough has taught at MSM for 15 years, just a bit longer than she has been in a committed relationship, a relationship of which the school administration was aware. She and her partner traveled to New Mexico to be legally married this week, and not even an hour after their ceremony, Tippi received a phone call, stating that she must resign or be fired. You can read the entire story here:

http://m.arktimes.com/arkansas/blogs/Post?basename=human-rights-campaign-says-mount-st-mary-prepared-to-fire-gay-teacher-for-marrying&day=17&id=ArkansasBlog&month=10&year=2013

As a member of the LGBTQ community, a resident of Little Rock, a Christian, & a human being, I am absolutely sickened by MSM's actions.

While I do and will continue to stand up for #teamtippi , I wanted to post a recipe intended to celebrate the love of Tippi & her wife, Barb. The recipe below is a generic one I found online a few years ago, but is one I still use today. I've served this punch at many a celebration, and intend to serve it at my own Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant ceremony in December. (Same-sex marriage isn't legal in Arkansas, but the Episcopal diocese allows priests to perform a blessing ceremony. We plan to get legally married out-of-state on our honeymoon.) I hope & pray that, amid all the craziness and outright discrimination in their lives right now, Tippi & Barb will focus on the love and celebrate their marriage! Jobs will come and go, but love is forever.

Congratulations on your marriage, Tippi & Barb! I support you, as do many others!

Celebration Champagne Punch

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen cranberry juice concentrate

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate

1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate

1 (750 milliliter) bottle white wine, chilled

1 liter carbonated water, chilled

2 (750 milliliter) bottles champagne, chilled

1 lemon - sliced, for garnish

1/2 cup fresh mint, garnish

In large punch bowl, combine the cranberry juice concentrate, pink lemonade concentrate, limeade concentrate, white wine, club soda and champagne. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint leaves.

Recipe & Photo via http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/32664/champagne-punch-iii

• 
  

Salad for Sarah

Hey, y'all! Today's post is for a special girl, one who I watched grow from a super-cute baby to a beautiful young woman at my home church, St. John's Episcopal. She launched her new blog today, entitled 'Losing Weight for Life.' She's a brave soul, opening up about her weight loss journey & struggles, and I am beyond proud of her & her honesty!

Check out her blog at: http://saraheflippin93.wordpress.com/

I wanted to share a recipe in her honor, one that tastes delicious, but is a healthy option. This is a recipe from a lady who in all honesty is known for anything but healthy recipes: Paula Deen! I know she's been under a lot of fire lately, and I'm not excusing her, but Mama Deen has a winner in this recipe! I've made it more times than I can count, and it's always a hit. It takes a classic, lightens it up, and presents it beautifully.

Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes

6 large tomatoes

2 cups cooked & cubed chicken

1/2 cup minced red bell pepper

1/2 cup corn, drained & rinsed

1 1/2 tbsp minced red onion

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Spinach leaves or Bibb lettuce

Cut 1/2 inch top off of each tomato. Scoop out pulp from tomatoes. Turn tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, bell pepper, corn, & onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil & next 6 ingredients. Pour over chicken, tossing gently to coat.

Line tomatoes with leaf lettuce or spinach leaves. Spoon chicken salad evenly into tomatoes. Serve immediately or refrigerate. 

(Photo & recipe via http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/35488)

The salad can be made ahead of time, and can also be eaten alone if you aren't a tomato person, which I will never understand how said people exist. I LOVE tomatoes! I've also made this & added half a can of drained & rinsed black beans and served wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla at a fiesta-themed party- everyone loved them!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I hope you'll check out & continue to follow Sarah's blog! ...& be sure to follow @woopigfoodieblog on Instagram!

Spice Up Your Life

I've got to be honest, y'all... This post was inspired by a blast from the past I had this morning, via Sirius XM's 90s on 9. Yes, the Spice Girls' song 'Spice Up Your Life' made me think of the following recipe. Just go with it! The outcome is worth it, I promise :)

Spicy Pimento Cheese

1 block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

2oz jar diced pimentos, drained

2-4 dashes of hot sauce

A pinch each of salt & pepper

(I use Hellmann's mayo, but prefer Duke's, & Louisiana hot sauce, because I'm a good Southern girl! )

Using a stand mixer or bowl & hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, about 2 min. Add remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix. Serve chilled with crudités & crackers or slather on some bread for a yummy sandwich. 

Another sinfully delicious way to enjoy is to make a grilled pimento cheese sandwich! A restaurant in Little Rock, Taziki's, does this and it is to die for! http://www.tazikiscafe.com/menus_little_rock

Weeknight Vegetable Soup

There's nothing better than coming home after a long day & having a really quick & healthy dinner ready to go! Can I get an amen?!

This is a super simple vegetable soup recipe- I'm talking so simple it's barely a recipe. (Don't you love those?) I make this in a big batch and usually freeze part of it. Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking, so pulling homemade soup from the freezer is a great option. If you don't have any made ahead, don't fret! This soup comes together in a hurry & can feed a crowd! Francesca, our exchange student, & I will be enjoying this a few hours from now with some yummy bread & a salad. 

Weeknight Vegetable Soup

1 46oz bottle vegetable (V8) juice

1 box vegetable stock

1 bag frozen peas & carrots

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained & rinsed

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Great Northern beans, drained & rinsed

2 envelopes onion soup mix

Salt & pepper to taste

Throw everything in a big soup pot, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 30min! See! Incredibly easy!

*I typically use 1 bag of frozen corn, but I forgot to buy any & had the cans on hand. You can use whatever vegetable combination you like- play around with it! I had some extra matchstick carrots from last week's chicken noodle soup, so I threw those in as well.

Doesn't that look good? 

Here's the yummy, crusty loaf from Silvek's European Bakery that we're having with the soup! 

I hope y'all have had a great day! Be sure to follow @woopigfoodieblog on Instagram to get your food fill on days I don't blog!

Peace,

MCS

5 Months in the Making

...or that time that I neglected my cooking blog. Eek!

To make it worth the wait, I will share one of my favorite dishes!

This recipe was given to me by a woman named Roseann Allen-Matthews, who was the director of my beloved summer camp when I was in high school. I spent an entire summer there in 2002, which just so happened to be a very dark time in my life. I was in a lot of emotional pain, was just beginning to fully realize my sexual orientation (sorry NOT sorry if that's TMI,) and I was really questioning my faith & purpose. Roseann and I had many a conversation around her kitchen table, and they honestly saved my life at that point. She was amid her own struggles at the time, of which I was naively unaware, but she had this calming & understanding nature, which made me feel incredibly safe. Her own demons got the best of her, and the world said goodbye to this magnificent person a few years back. I'll never forget her kindness, open heart, and spiritual guidance from that summer, and I think of her with fondness whenever I make this recipe. Without further adieu,

Roseann's Rice Pilaf

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped (appx 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups uncooked long grain white rice

29oz chicken stock

In a Dutch oven, sauté veggies in butter over medium-high heat. Add rice and wine; stir until absorbed. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20min, checking doneness of rice at 15min mark.

A super simple recipe, tastes divine, & goes really well with grilled fish or chicken!

Rest in peace, Roseann, you fabulous lady, you!